In popular discourse, no one seems to question or temper the idea that participation in European Union (EU) elections has been decreasing constantly. After all, hasn’t it? With the elections coming up, it’s a good time to get the facts straight. By Jules Beley

The fall of the Berlusconi government in 2011 was a game-changer in Italian politics. The prominent role taken by the EU in the succession of the events was unprecedented and contributed to catalyse the attention of the public on the European level. The magnitude of the change was clearly visible...

The years leading up and following the financial crisis of 2008 saw a significant shift in public opinion towards the Euro. According to a Eurobarometer survey , the share of Eurozone nationals who believed in the benefits of the single currency went from 59% in September 2006 to 47% in...

Former British Prime Minister, David Cameron, played a political game and lost. In a nation where Brussels had become the customary whipping boy, Cameron gambled his political destiny on a high-risk referendum that he thought he could never lose. He wanted to settle Britain’s place in Europe, instead, his referendum...

In 2005, several countries organised referenda on ratifying the proposal for a European constitution. After the Netherlands and France voted ‘no’, it became clear that the constitution would not be implemented. What are the particularities and similarities between the motivations behind the ‘no’-votes in France and the Netherlands ? How...

At the height of the so-called “migration crisis”, the European Commission, backed by the Council and the European Parliament, decided to relocate asylum-seekers from the overburdened asylum systems in Greece and Italy to other Member States. Confronted with the failures of the Dublin system, this new mandatory relocation scheme aimed...

Political parties from the mainstream center-right and center-left have traditionally dominated the European Parliament. However, times are changing, with an increase in far-right and Eurosceptic MEPs elected and the recent formation of far-right groups in the European Parliament, including the Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) led by Marine Le...

The long years of war had left Europe weak and resource-stripped; there was a pressing need to build a unified European alliance. To regain its strength and ascertain peaceful conditions, on May 9, 1950, Robert Schuman, the then French Foreign Minister, proposed the formation of the European Community of Steel...

The wave of populism has been ravaging Europe for a while now and there seems to be no end to it yet. Austria is a particular case. Extreme right, or as some call, far right parties, have gained an immense electoral support by the Austrian people three times with almost...

He sat calmly in his chair, leaning back as the speaker’s words rang in his ears and in those of everyone else in the chamber. His favorite critic, Guy Verhofstadt, was playing the role of raconteur, sharing a story of his first impression of the Hungarian Prime Minister, gleaned in...